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Classical Music Posts

Borromeo String Quartet Marks Beethoven’s 250th Year With A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
The humorous side of Beethoven’s personality seeps into his music, such as the false stops and musical giggles that fuel his two-minute-long Presto from the Quartet Op. 130, which opens this performance. For contrast, the Borromeos follow with a serious movement from later on in the same piece, the prayerful Cavatina, which Beethoven said even got him choked up. Continue Reading Borromeo String Quartet Marks Beethoven’s 250th Year With A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

On ‘McCartney III,’ Paul McCartney Is A One-Man Show Again
Back in 1970, as the book was closing on The Beatles’ time together, Paul McCartney came out with a release that established him as an artist in his own right — and a versatile one, who played every instrument on the album simply titled McCartney. In 1980, he followed it up with McCartney II — another kind of do-it-yourself solo album, released as another band of his, Wings, was breaking up. Now, after another 40 years, the artist has been quite busy in quarantine. Continue Reading On ‘McCartney III,’ Paul McCartney Is A One-Man Show Again

In His 250th Year, Beethoven’s Legacy Is One Of Life, Liberty And Pursuit Of Enlightenment
Ludwig van Beethoven charted a powerful new course in music. His ideas may have been rooted in the work of European predecessors Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Josef Haydn, but the iconic German composer became who he was with the help of some familiar American values: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That phrase, from the Declaration of Independence, is right out of the playbook of the Enlightenment, the philosophical movement that shook Europe in the 18th century. Continue Reading In His 250th Year, Beethoven’s Legacy Is One Of Life, Liberty And Pursuit Of Enlightenment

StoryCorps Northwest: Family Hit By Loss During 1918 Pandemic Reflects On COVID-19
This year, you may have heard references to the 1918 pandemic, referred to as the Spanish flu. Peggy Ward of Moscow, Idaho, shares the story of her grandmother who died in the 1918 pandemic and how it affected her family and the community. She spoke with her daughter, Lynne Embrey, for StoryCorps Northwest, recorded virtually. Continue Reading StoryCorps Northwest: Family Hit By Loss During 1918 Pandemic Reflects On COVID-19

All Songs Considered Says: Consider Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th Birthday
There’s far more to this enduring figure than the famous Fifth Symphony. And to find out, we’ve invited writer Jan Swafford to join us for an all-Beethoven “take-over” edition of All Songs Considered to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Continue Reading All Songs Considered Says: Consider Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th Birthday

Charley Pride, Country Music’s First Major Black Star, Dies Of Coronavirus Complications At 86
Pride died Saturday from complications of COVID-19 in Dallas. The baritone-voiced singer was the first Black man inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Continue Reading Charley Pride, Country Music’s First Major Black Star, Dies Of Coronavirus Complications At 86